Super quick and easy 1940s Chocolate Peppermint Parfaits

✯ Day 334 of Vintage 365 ✯

Vintage gloved hands up if, like me, you're starting to feel that sense that there is no where near enough time left before Christmas to get everything you want/need/have sworn a sacred oath to get done actually done!

Most of us are familiar with this feeling, which can range from momentary to virtually constant from about mid-November onward. I suppose in a way it's slightly endearing, as it's a sensation that is usually only attached to Christmas time and thus helps remind of us season that we're experiencing and the memories that the countdown to December 25th conjures up.

As we sit here on the very last day of November however, I know that a great many of us will only find ourselves more and more pressed for time, boggled down with festive activities, and up to our elbows in "must do" holiday baking and cooking in the coming weeks.

Thus today's vintage recipe from 1942 for Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Parfaits is so incredibly, ridiculously easy that I almost hesitate to call it a recipe. One simply alternates layers of instant pudding with whipped cream (or you could use Cool Whip, if you prefer), to which peppermint extract and green food colouring has been added, in a pretty serving dish.

That's it. In under 15 minutes (and that's allotting if you need to whip the cream yourself from scratch) you have a rather delicious, inexpensive, beautiful looking dessert that's instantly - thanks to the inclusion of mint - fit for the holiday table.

 

In addition to the mint variety mentioned above, this inviting looking Jell-O ad from 1942 (which comes by way of alsis35 on Flickr) also includes an equally simple to make, time crunch-friendly recipe for Chocolate Coffee Creams (chocolate pudding that sees 1/2 a cup of the usual milk replaced with coffee).

You could of course jazz up today's vintage pudding recipe further, serving it perhaps with ladyfinger biscuits, garnished with toasted nuts (pistachios or almonds would be lovely), or even as the jumping off point for a holiday season trifle.

However, should you wish to allot yourself a few more minutes in the day during which to cross another activity of your must do Christmas prep list, then grant yourself a favour and prepare these parfaits just the recipe suggests.

They're sweet, creamy, delightful proof that holiday season desserts can be both quick and completely yummy in one fell swoop!